Video Preview of Southland on NBC Starring Ben McKenzie

First Look: Southland

One of the Spring shows many of you said you'd check out is Southland, a new police drama on NBC that will take over ER's time slot when that show retires in April. The show actually shares some producers with ER; could it be NBC's next long-running Thursday drama?

Southland centers on a group of LAPD cops, notably The OC's Benjamin McKenzie as rookie Ben Sherman. Sherman's taken under the wing of a seasoned officer, John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), and immediately starts to question whether he really has what it takes to be an LA cop. Other cast members include Regina King as Detective Lydia Adams, Tom Everett Scott as Detective Russell Clarke, and Kevin Alejandro as Detective Nate Moretta.

From the promos, Southland strikes me a little as cop-show-by-the-numbers, but I'm hoping the storylines and characters reveal more depth when the series premieres April 9. Are you curious to see how this one turns out? To watch a couple of promos, just read more.

awww where are my fellow oc fans? when i see the commercials i always get all teary eyed because it makes me miss the oc so much more. i don't know if i can watch. because i can only picture ryan atwood, not some cop. ryan is not a cop. he lives with the cohens! oh oc i miss you so much! how could you leave me??